A SCENARIO ANALYSIS OF THE RISK PREMIUM IN G7 COUNTRIES

In this investigation over 144,000 simulations are undertaken of country equity risk premia, based on a scenario analysis of the uncertainty surrounding the period of non-sustainable growth in earnings and stock returns. Final estimates, from the larger data-sets in Japan, the US and the UK, are around 3–6% in nominal terms, and compare well with other methodologies. However, except for Canada, the smaller data-sets in France, Germany and Italy reveal much higher risk premia than expected. Furthermore, given the spreads in estimates generally, the issue of sustainability is still contentious.